Fox says guest who criticized McCain won’t be back

NEW YORK – Fox News says a retired Air Force general who called Sen. John McCain “songbird John” for allegedly providing information to the North Vietnamese while he was a prisoner of war will not be invited back.

The idea that McCain gave up information during the war was judged false years ago by Politifact. But Fox Business Network guest Tom McInerney spread the story as a guest on Thursday. Fox host Charles Payne later apologized for not correcting him on the air.

A Fox spokeswoman said Friday that McInerney will no longer be allowed on the network.

Also Thursday, a White House official dismissed McCain’s opposition to President Donald Trump’s CIA nominee by saying it didn’t matter because McCain is dying anyway. McCain is fighting brain cancer.